Redfox8

Go to Scotland and taste the joys of a deep fried Mars bar, now you're talking!

This was his version of flossing, he had killer dance moves behind the decks.

I'd do that sooner rather than later so they'll settle in better and not lag too far behind the others in terms of development and flowering time. If you're transplanting just because of shading I wouldn't bother, they're close enough in size.

I'm gonna lick some mercury laced with cyanide, sprinkled with foxglove seeds. Betcha can't lick more times than me!

Never mind, it didn't really matter...

I tried "art with the theme of joy" in an Ecosia search and got a variety of results that looked decent. A search like that should be a good starting point. Take note of the artists that have used that theme and see what else they do. You could follow up by searching for books about what you find. Also, look on art gallery websites etc for what exhibitions are or have been that may cover your theme.

Do you have a local art group (even for people who get together to make art) and ask them?

No problem! Look up "all you can eat in three square feet" there's a good book of that title, could be some online stuff too. Also read up about companion planting.

Soil science both in terms of chemistry and micro organisms can be quite interesting, but probably only of much use for troubleshooting. Although the nature of balcony/pot growing probably makes it less relevant as you'll be wanting to refresh the soil/compost each year so the conditions will be too changable to use that if you have problems. I'd focus on pest defence, light/heat, watering and fertilising (fresh compost will provide nutrients for a few months generally) over more specific soil conditions!

My California lilac and rosemary are getting all the attention at the moment. There's still a lot of trees etc in flower at the moment so don't dispair yet! I expect my green alkanet and viper's bugloss (when it flowers later) will be busy once the spring moves to summer. Geraniums and salvias too!

Very true! He's just a gobshite.

My experience of veggies is they are mostly very tollerant of moderate soil conditions (i.e. no extremes). No need to go heavy on perfecting the soil, so long as it's decently fertlised you'll get s decent crop :). Most are cultivated with ease of growth in mind. The one thing I'd say is to not plant in pure compost in pots or raised beds as it dries out too quickly (your coco coir experience sounds like that was a major factor). An enriched soil will do just fine.

For seed sowing, the main thing is that it isn't too rich otherwise they'll grow too leggy too quickly. You pot on or plant out once the 'baby' leaves are outgrown typically once the energy from the seed is spent. Other than that don't fuss. I've tried perlite and vermiculite and didn't find it made the slightest bit of difference. It just makes a nicer soil in terms of being fine and workable. Buy a seed compost if you really want something good. I use any junk I have available frankly! So long as it's not too lumpy! A soil that doesn't swing from dry to wet is probably most important at the germination stage. You can cover pots with cling film to help that, especially whilst on a heat mat.

If you suspect your outdoor soil may be strongly acid or alkaline, get some test strips snd check and pull it closer to pH7-7.5. Otherwise just plant out.

You'll find there's always a few things that either really don't like your garden/growing space, for no apparent reason!

Re guides : the RHS has tonnes of info. Also take a rummage in a thrift/charity shop, or go to your library - growing methods don't go out of date! But you can also follow the guides on the seed packets and you'll do ok! Albeit with a few failures ;) life isn't perfect and your plant growing won't be either, just aim to enjoy whatever crop you get :)

If you like bumblebees, get lots of plants in the borage family, they go made for them! Aromatic/culinary herbs are also great.

Last year was an absolute wash out, so wet and grey for so long. It'll probably be worse again at next year's count. Hopefully the warm dry weather atm will help a little.